Dragon's Heart
by Dr1ft3r0I
Summary: Comet Torodan just wanted to be a normal teenage trainer. Unfortunately for him, being the child of a Legendary means that there is no such thing as "normal." Especially since Arceus wants him dead. Technically my first fanfic, and currently undergoing renovation.  Sorry, but I was having writers block on how the story would go, so yeah.  Be back with updates soon!
1. Chapter 1

Separation

Twenty-four year old Laura Toradan gazed at the sunset as she stood on the patio of her Fortree home. She had sent her seven year old son, Comet, to bed earlier, so she was the only person awake at the moment. A shadow briefly crossed the patio, making Laura turn her head to the sky.

Most people would have freaked out at the sight of the thirty foot long serpent that hung in the air in front of her. Laura was not one of those people, as she lightly stroked the ridge above its right eye, the enormous head reaching up to her hand. Laura smiled as the Pokémon closed its eyes in bliss, a soft purr more reminiscent of thunder coming from its throat.

"Come inside Ray, I don't want my neighbors to look up and freak out. The last thing I need is for someone to try and capture you," Laura told the Pokémon, her hand leaving the eye ridge. She closed her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms above her head. That being said, she didn't notice the flash of light that coincided with the sunset

Opening her eyes, Laura was greeted by the sight of a tall, gangly man who appeared to be in his late teens. He had on blue jeans, a faded green shirt, and a gold chain with a small green gem hanging from it. Laura however, was busy gazing into the deep green eyes that were above of a yellow, tattooed stripe on his nose and cheeks, as well being partially obscured by a mop of dark golden hair.

"I thought we were going inside," the man said, his voice in good humor as he playfully reprimanded Laura. "I know I'm attractive and all, but I'm sure that you don't want to freeze."

Laura gasped. Blushing, she went over to the door and opened it, ushering the man inside. Once the two of them were inside, Laura closed the door and locked it. Walking over to the couch in the decently sized living room, Laura sat down sighing, her face showing fatigue.

The man sat down next to her, his arm placed around her shoulders as Laura put her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong? You seem more tired than usual," he said, his face etched with worry, and with the sharp angles that made up his face, looked menacing rather than comforting.

Laura looked into the man's green eyes. "Ray, I can't do this anymore," her voice showing signs of fatigue. "I can't keep battling like I'm seventeen, and I can't take Comet to a battle even if I wanted to. Ray, maybe you can take him for a while. I mean, you like being human right?"

The man, now known as Ray, looked at Laura in shock. "Laura, I can't do that! It's not that I don't want to raise Comet full-time-trust me, I do-it's just that, between my old home, keeping Groudon and Kyogre from killing each other, and random summons from maybe Ho-oh, Comet would be alone most of the time and I can't trust Latias or Mew with looking after him and not tell anybody," he told her, his arms waving about.

Laura was about to tell Ray a piece of her mind when Ray stiffen up. "Ray," Laura tentatively asked, "what's wrong?"

Ray tilted his head to the floor, not meeting Laura's inquisitive stare. Laura tilted her boyfriend's head to look into his eyes. "Ray," she said sternly, "what's going on? Groudon and Kyogre going at it again? Because if so, take me with you," Ray looked at her alarmed, "because I want to knock some sense into them myself, and Arceus help you if you try to convince me otherwise." One look at Laura's face told Ray that she was adamant about this and sighed. He knew it was pointless to try and argue with a mother. Not to mention his trainer.

"It's not that," he told her. Laura lifted an eyebrow. Ray looked her in the eye. "Latios is dead. Palkia just told me. I'm to go to the Hall of Origin to attend his funeral." He looked down, his face falling into a look of regret. "I'm going to have to help Latias cope with the loss."

Laura looked at him in sympathy. "Ray, it's all right. I know what you have to go through."

Ray shook his head. "Laura, if I go, they will notice that I'm trying to reach you every chance I get. They might find out, and what if someone tries to catch me? They'll find out that they can't, and even a Ditto can put two and two together."

Laura let out a forced chuckle. "Well, looks like it's time, eh?" She looked into the young man's eyes with sadness.

"Yeah," Ray said, his voice showing the emotions that he couldn't use his face for.

Together, the two of them got up walked to the patio. Once they were at the railing, Laura took out an ordinary pokeball; a pokeball that, until that moment had held a Legendary inside it. Pointing it at Ray, Laura nodded. Ray nodded as well, his form blurred by a green light that seemed to come out of his pores. Seconds later, a bright flash blinded Laura. When she finally did recover, Laura saw the serpent from earlier hovering in the air.

"Pokeball, release!" she cried out, her voice cracking. The pokeball emitted a burst of blue light that enveloped the serpent for a moment and soon dissipated. Sighing, the dragon nudged Laura softly, sadness in its now golden eyes as it turned and flew away into the night sky.

"Goodbye Rayquaza," Laura said, tears running down her face. "I love you."

Somewhere above the world, a dragon cried.


	2. Chapter 2

Homecoming

Comet Toradan was lying on the ground, gazing at the stars when he saw it. It had appeared for only a brief second, but it was long enough for Comet to guess where it was headed. The fifteen year old Pokémon trainer was currently camped next to Route 118, near Fortree City. Whatever it was he saw, it was heading more or less to the southeast, in the general direction of Pacifilog Town. Comet sighed. He had wanted to do nothing but go back home to Fortree, but that stubborn instinct of every trainer to find out what it was currently had control over most of his brain. However, he was tired, so with his head currently at war with itself, Comet went to sleep.

_Meanwhile…_

Rayquaza gazed at the boy below him from the comfortable heights of the stratosphere. Humans in general fascinated him to no end, which was why he spent most of his time not dedicated to keeping Groudon and Kyogre from ripping each other throats out watching humans. Heck, he even disguised himself as a human, though it took most of his power to do it. From there, Rayquaza would observe humans at a much more…intimate level than most of his fellow Legendaries.

Rayquaza chuckled to himself. Very few of his fellow Legendries had regular contact with humans, which mostly consisted of Mew, Latias, and Darkrai. Of the three, Darkrai was more of a benevolent watcher than someone who actually interacted with humans. Latias was around humans simply because the Soul Dew was in the town of Altomere, and Mew was a hyperactive ball of pink fur who couldn't stop pulling off pranks.

Rayquaza felt a presence tickle the back of his elongated head. _Now what? _, the Sky High Pokémon thought to himself, allowing whatever Legendary that was psychic enter his mind.

[_Ray, my father requests your presence in his home_]_,_ a gruff, booming voice resounded in Rayquaza's head, even though no one was near enough for the dragon to hear.

Rayquaza gulped. If Palkia's father wanted to talk to him, then either two things had happened. One, either Groudon or Kyogre had finally achieved their goal of ripping their counterpart's throat out, in which case Rayquaza was probably going to be vaporized for being negligent in his duties, or two, someone had found out about his being captured by Laura. In both cases, he was in trouble.

[_Okay Palkia, I'm coming. Where should I go to get to his home?_], the dragon-type Pokémon replied in his head to the Space-Altering Pokémon, most of Rayquaza's concentration going into sending the telepathic message.

A snort reverberated in Rayquaza's ears. [_Just hold onto your lunch. I'm told that first time teleportee's usually lose whatever's in their stomachs._]

That was the only warning that Rayquaza got before he was sucked into a hole in space and immediately spat back out into the Hall of Origin. Rayquaza looked around to see most his fellow Legendaries in the room. Groudon and Kyogre were both there, which made Rayquaza worry. A lot. All of remaining Legendaries, including Latias and Mew, stood still with serious expressions on their faces. In the back and center, stood the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus, his gaze fixed firmly on the long green dragon.

[_Rayquaza, do you know why I have summoned you here?_], the equine looking Pokémon's voice resounding deeply in Rayquaza's head. The dragon dumbly shook his head. The first Pokémon in existence sighed. [_Rayquaza, I have summoned you here because I have learned of a most disturbing fact. That you, of all my children, had been captured by a trainer,_] everyone in the room gasped in surprise except for Arceus and Rayquaza, who visibly flinched, [_and that you had a…relationship with this trainer._]

At this, everyone broke out into a panic, only for Latias to scream at the top of her lungs, [_WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!_] The panic ceased immediately, if only because this was the first time that anybody had heard the female Eon Pokémon cuss. Even Arceus was surprised at her outburst.

Rayquaza went to the floor, coiled himself on it, and awaited the Judgment.

_The Next Day…_

Comet walked into the modestly sized tree house that he called home. He noted with disappointment that his mother wasn't home. Shrugging, Comet went to his room to get a fresh change of clothes to get into after a quick shower.

Opening the door, Comet saw that his mother had kept most of his room just the way he liked it; trashed. Needless clutter grew like weeds on his desk, his bedsheets full of wrinkles, and his framed sketch of Fortree was slightly crooked. Comet smiled, his eyes closed in bliss as he played back some of his childhood memories.

Taking the four Pokeballs that he had, Comet released his team. Four beams of light flashed, and then solidified into a Grovyle, an Espeon, a rather tired looking Mightyena, and finally, a Zoroark. The four Pokémon looked at their surroundings briefly before going their separate ways with glee; the Grovyle climbing out the window to get into the surrounding foliage, the Espeon jumped onto Comet's bed and curled up in his pillows, the Mightyena just collapsed on the spot with blissful slumber, and the Zoroark decided to tackle Comet to the ground.

"Katya," Comet gasped, his limbs twitching, "can't… breathe."

The Illusion Fox Pokémon just nuzzled her trainer, her eyes closed and what could easily pass as a smile plastered on her muzzle. Katya did, however, loosen up on the bone-crushing hug she was giving Comet. The trainer looked at the Pokémon sternly. "Katya, I still need to take a shower. Jorge and Mom will be home soon, and I know for a fact that Mom does **not** want to see me this dirty. That and I'm fairly sure that she's gonna want you clean as well." Comet paused. "So Katya, will you please let me get up."

Katya opened her eyes and looked at him, a whine escaping her throat. She reluctantly got off the trainer and sat on the floor. Comet got up and retrieved the clothes that he had dropped when the Zoroark tackled him. Turning towards the door, Comet looked at the small digital clock on his nightstand. Shrugging, he went out of his room to take his well needed shower.

Katya watched as her trainer left the room, still sitting on the floor. She got up and walked over to the window, watching the few people that were on the ground. [Cale,] Katya muttered softly, [you still around?]

The Grovyle, better known to some as Cale, stuck his head over the roof of the house. [Yeah. Whoa, Katya, you don't look so good, what's up?] Cale stopped for a moment, a small smile on his face as he realized he had just made a joke, even if it was bad.

Katya met the over-sized gecko's grin with a patented Frown of Disapproval™. [Cale, you do know what happens in two days, right?]

Cale looked at the fox thoughtfully. [Yeah, it's Comet's birthday. Why?]

Katya sighed. [Cale, Comet hasn't been happy since his mom started dating Jorge. He never smiles when he is home, he rarely talks, and Comet always argues with Jorge.] Katya paused. [I just want to see him smile like he used to.]

Cale was silent for a few moments, a sign that he was in deep thought. [Kat, I'm not you. But if I was,] the reptile said, [I'd take him somewhere isolated and simply spend time with him. I hear that the sunsets over at the Scorched Slab are pretty good this time of year.]

Katya stepped away from the window. [Thanks Cale for listening,] she said waving a paw in the air, an idea forming in Katya's head.

Comet stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist and a thick blanket of steam surrounding him. Walking over to the sink, he happened to look at his reflection over the mirror. The Comet that stared back at him with soulful green eyes was about five foot eight, had a fairly good tan, and an intensely yellow mop of hair on his head. Not a bad looking person, truth be told.

Comet brushed his teeth, put deodorant on, and put the fresh set of clothes on. Looking in the mirror, Comet softly swore. Apparently, during the three months he had been away from home, Comet had grown out of some of the clothes that were in his room, so it now seemed that his shirt was about to choke him and the legs of his pants were about an inch or two short of reaching his ankles.

_I hope Mom doesn't see this, _Comet thought to himself as he got out of the bathroom. Putting the dirty clothes in a hamper, Comet walked down the hall to his room to see what his team doing. _Probably what they were doing when I left, except for Kat, _the teen mused as he poked his head through the door to see Milo, the Mightyena, still sleeping on the floor, leg twitching as he dreamed; Kira, his Espeon, her body curled up in his pillows, forked tail slightly twitching. Comet knew that Cale was somewhere in the surrounding trees, doing something known only to the gecko, but where was…?

Comet's unformed question was soon answered by a Lucario tackling him from behind, lifting the two of them off the ground, turning Comet around in mid-air, and land onto the bed. The resulting crash on the bed lifted the formally sleeping Espeon into the air to land on Comet's bag, and for the trainer to be pinned helplessly to his bed by the Lucario. Milo didn't even react.

Comet looked into the jackal's deep red eyes. "Kat, what the heck are you doing? How many times do I have to tell you to not tackle me to the ground?" The teen yelled to the Lucario, not fooled by the Zoroark's illusion after spending so much time with her. Comet glanced around to see where the Pokémon had pinned him and promptly had an anime style sweat-drop. "Katya, what are you doing?"

[Not much, just making sure that you don't get off the bed anytime soon,] she replied, Comet not able to understand Pokespeech. Comet looked at her doubtfully. [I'm not going to rape you, if that's what you're asking.]

[Kat, what in Giratina's ugly ass are you doing to our trainer?] Kira yowled, the psychic feline ticked off as it was about being woken up, but now even more upset seeing the position that Comet was in.

[Kira, I need a favor from you,] the Dark-type said to the Espeon calmly, seemingly unperturbed by the feline's loud cry.

[A favor? What kind of favor could you possibly want now of all times?] Kira asked Kat, curiosity now in the former's still loud and angry voice.

Comet looked as Kira and Katya talked to each other in Pokespeak, not sure of what Katya was telling Kira to do. The two of them stopped talking and looked at him. Katya yipped at Comet softly.

[_Comet, Katya wants to know if you would like to go to the Scorched Slab on your birthday_], Kira's soft telepathic voice sang out in Comet's head. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. Comet's brain was more or less shut off due to the implications of what Katya was asking.

_Is she asking me what I think she's asking me_? A now panicking Comet thought to himself, only to be interrupted by a bark from Katya. [_She is waiting for an answer_], Kira told Comet.

"Uh, Katya, I'd um, uh, love to, um, go with you to the, erm, Scorched Slab," Comet uneasily told the vixen who was still on top of him. Katya yipped in delight as she hugged her trainer, and then quickly ran out of the room before Comet could complain of any back or lung problems.

Comet sat up on his bed and looked at Kira. "Kira, just what on Earth have I gotten myself into?" he asked the diminutive psychic feline. The only response the teen received was a shrug, what looked like a smirk on Kira's muzzle, and a flick of the Eeveelution's forked tail.


	3. Chapter 3

Legacy

Ray looked at the classifieds in the newspaper, the sun beating down on his back as he sat outside a coffee shop in Lilycove. _I have to say_, he thought, _I got off remarkably easy considering_. He was mentally referring to the punishment that Arceus had seen fit to give him, which for most individuals with godlike power, was horrifying: spend the rest of your life as a mortal, and pray to whatever divine power you wanted to pray to that you did not upset Arceus again.

Shrugging to himself, Ray got up from his seat and left some cash on the table for the coffee, newspaper tucked under his arm. Taking a deep breath of the salty air, Ray decided to look at some of the art that was in the Lilycove Museum of Visual Arts. Coming up to the museum, Ray noticed a small crowd of people at the entrance. As he got closer, Ray could make out some of what they were saying.

"It's unbelievable how this guy captures the essence of whatever the subject of the piece is."

"Yeah, I know. Say, have you seen the one with…"

"I heard that this guy hasn't even graduated yet. I saw some of his works in Mauville two weeks ago and I was impressed."

Ray smiled as he worked his way through the crowd to the entrance. Upon getting to the door, Ray noticed with a jolt the poster taped to the inside of the door.

It said something about art being displayed for a week, but that was not what riveted Ray's attention to the door. Rather, it was the picture of the artist that interested him. It showed a teenage boy looking at the camera boredly, as if he was saying, _can we just get this over with already_? The boy had messy blonde, almost gold hair, a reasonably tan skin tone, and eyes the exact color of Ray's old body, which was to say, an intense, emerald green. There was only one thing that Ray could say in this situation.

"Holy shit."

_Fortree_

Comet glared across the kitchen table at the man sitting there, not paying any attention to what was going on around him. The man, for his part, wasn't even looking up as he devoured the plate of food in front of him.

The man was slightly bald, his gut was swollen from too much beer, and he had the personality to match. He finally looked up and saw Comet glaring at him. "What the hell are you looking at, you fuckin' brat?" he said, his speech slightly impaired by the food in his mouth.

Comet didn't answer. Instead, he got up and left the table, leaving his plate untouched. Opening the door, Comet paused long enough to let Katya out of the house and followed her, shutting the door behind him.

The fat guy looked at the door. "Fuckin' brat."

Once the two of them were on the ground, Comet and Katya walked towards Route 120, Comet hoping to catch a bus to Lilycove, Katya because she wanted to be with her trainer. As they walked, Katya shifted her form to that of a Mightyena, just so that no one had any ideas about trying to steal her from Comet.

Comet noticed her action and let a corner of his mouth move upwards. He had always admired the way that Katya could change her appearance at will, even if it was an illusion. That, and Katya could be absolutely hilarious in some of her illusions. Like that one time in Rustboro when she stood in for a famous comedian, what was his name, Jeff Dunham, Durham? Comet couldn't remember. All he could remember was the sheer joy that was on Katya's face later after the show. Plus, he never knew that Katya was a ventriloquist.

Comet snapped out of his reverie as he and Katya reached the bus terminal. "One plus a Pokémon for Lilycove please, round trip," he asked the attendant. The attendant glared at Comet, her eyes shaped like slits.

"That will be 50 dollars sir," she said, her voice dripping with disgust. Comet paid the fifty dollars, even though he knew that the price was too high. He received the tickets and left the register, Katya following right behind him. He didn't notice that throughout the transaction, a young woman had been staring at him. She was about five foot ten, wearing a faded pair of jeans and a shirt with a picture of Dialga on it, the neckline down low enough to see a silver chain with a diamond hanging from it. She had a sharp face, with platinum blonde hair over her blood red eyes.

_So that's Ray's kid_, Dialga thought to herself. _He doesn't look like a threat to Arceus, especially if he doesn't have any odd abilities_. Dialga went up to the attendant who had given Comet his tickets.

"Excuse me ma'am, but where exactly is the young man you just served going? I'm a friend of his mother, and she wanted me to look after him for today," she told the attendant. The lady looked at her doubtfully. Dialga decided to elaborate. "He doesn't know I'm following him." The lady nodded.

"He's going to Lilycove and just because I don't like him, your ticket is free." With that, the ticket lady gave Dialga the ticket and asked the next person in line to come up. Dialga followed the boy onto the bus, sitting a few seats behind him. While they were waiting for the bus to leave, Dialga got a got look at the boy.

He certainly did look a bit like Ray as a human, with the sharp, angled features and air of authority. He wore exactly the same kinds of clothes that Dialga knew Rayquaza to wear in the modern age; running shoes, jeans that were faded from the sun and obviously hand patched, a dark green shirt providing contrast for the jeans. The boy for some reason had his backpack with him, which only somewhat confused Dialga.

The bus lurched, shifting everyone forward an inch or two. Dialga leaned back in her seat and enjoyed the view.

_Lilycove_

Ray sat on a bench in the museum, his head pounding and driving him nuts. Which was quite understandable: it would be shocking for anyone to see their child that they hadn't seen in eight years be **this** successful. It sort of reminded Ray of how he had lived his childhood. Being raised by Palkia and Giratina did a lot to create a free-spirited and rebellious individual like Rayquaza. Not knowing just who his father was until later in his life, when Arceus revealed himself to the three Legends of Hoenn to tell them their duties. Even if Groudon and Kyogre had the more important duty of creating a place for the rest of Arceus' creations, Rayquaza was happy being the guardian of the sky; it allowed him to be by himself, with no one to tell him what to do.

Ray sighed as he closed that vault of memories. Getting up, he walked over to the nearest picture that his son-_his son!_-had made. Looking at it, Ray couldn't help letting out a manly laugh. It was a drawing of a Purugly that had just gotten a bath, and the way that Comet had captured the disapproving glare of the, in Ray's personal opinion, hideous feline was absolutely stunning.

_I know that Comet didn't get his talent for drawing from me_, the former Legendary thought. _That has Laura written all over it_. Moving on to another picture, Ray let out a sudden intake of breath. It was _him_, in his old body! Granted, he was coiled around Groudon, who was a lonely platform of granite that was in the middle of the ocean, with Kyogre in the water right next to him, but it was still his old body!

Ray stared at the drawing, soaking in every detail. He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone spoke up from behind him.

"He captures the eyes pretty well, don't you think Ray?"

Ray turned to face the speaker and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Dialga? What are you doing here?" He asked the pale woman who was actually the Goddess of Time.

Dialga shrugged. "I like being in human form too, just so you know. Plus, I wanted to see why you were…um…"

"Doomed to a ridiculously short life just because I fell in love?" Ray finished for her, a neutral look on his face. "No," said Dialga, "I was going to say banished. But I do have to ask you, why did you have to..."

Ray gave Dialga a harsh look that clearly told the psychic _I do __**not**__ want to talk about it_. Dialga shifted uncomfortably. Ray's face softened a little bit. "Have you seen him?" he inquired of her, his face clearly showing the eagerness of wanting to know his son. Dialga nodded. Ray leaned on an empty section of wall, his eyes closed and the air around him shifting to a more cheerful tone.

"But I have to warn you," Ray looked at Dialga when she said this. "He reminds me a **lot** of you when you were younger."

Comet sat in front of an ice cream parlor, enjoying the afternoon sun and, oddly enough, the company of Katya, who had since shifted into a Meowth. Looking at the mob of people and Pokémon going about their business, Comet took out a sketchpad and began drawing. First it was a line, which quickly led to stick figures, and about half an hour later, had turned into the faceless masses running about in front of him. Comet had gotten so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice the small crowd of people gathering behind him.

Finally sensing the multitude of stares, Comet turned around to see the gob smacked faces of the other patrons of the parlor. Shrugging, he went back to drawing, only to completely stop when he noticed that a little girl, who looked to be about five or six, go rushing out into the street at the same time a semi came off the freeway, apparently unable to stop.

"Hey kid, get out of the street!" he yelled, jumping up and tossing the pad on the table. Apparently the girl didn't hear him as she picked something up from the ground, oblivious to the semi that was speeding toward her.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion for Comet. He ran out to the girl, desperate to get to her before the truck did. He didn't notice the green aura of energy that formed around his arms when he grabbed the girl in bear hug while in midair. What Comet did notice was the semi that had been barreling towards him get stopped by a green shield, the front grill and fender bending around him and the child, the rear of the truck being lifted off the ground, the expression of the driver as he was thrown forward to the dashboard.

People were running towards him and the girl, as well as Katya who had shifted back to her true form, when Comet lost touch with reality and faded into blackness.

_Hall of Origin_

Arceus glowered at the spectacle below, his brow furrowed in anger. _Rayquaza dared to have a child with a __**human**__? This is unacceptable! He must be taught a lesson_. With those thoughts in mind, the Alpha Pokémon stormed off into his private chambers, unaware in his fury that someone had overheard his thoughts.

Latias gulped to herself, her face pale after hearing what the god had said in his mind. _I have to warn him_, she thought, fear for the person who had taken care of her during those few years grieving Latios' death driving her to challenge the Alpha's orders. With her thoughts troubled beyond comprehension, Latias teleported to the mortal world.


	4. Chapter 4

Inheritance

"_In a stunning display of heroism, a young man saved a young girl from being run over by an out of control semi. Now, Terry, we have no clue as to what happened, so can you enlighten us as to what transpired?"_

"_Okay Rob, I'm here at the scene where only minutes ago, a semi almost ran over six year old Tricia Long. She was chasing after a doll that she had dropped in the street when a semi, driven by thirty-three year old Jordan Hall, who had been driving trucks since high school, came rolling off the freeway towards Tricia. The truck was about to hit her when fifteen year old art sensation Comet Toradan ran out and saved her."_

"_Okay Terry, but what's with the wrecked semi?" _

"_Now, according to eyewitnesses, Comet had shielded Tricia from the semi when a green field of energy surrounded him, which to many of the eyewitnesses, looked sort of like a Protect move from a Pokémon. The semi hit the shield and almost flipped. Wait a sec…we have footage showing the incident taken by a passerby. You can see…"_

Katya looked at the news report on the T.V. in the Pokémon Center lobby as she waited for news about her trainer from Nurse Joy. The Zoroark was beyond worry as she looked at the doors to the intensive care section of the hospital. Her ears twitched towards the double doors of the facility, the sounds of the mob of reporters coming in to assault her eardrums.

Katya was about to brush it off when a conversation caught her attention. "Ray, why are you trying to see him? I mean, the doctors aren't going to let a guy like you see him, not until he's okay."

"Dialga, he is in danger. With that little stunt of his, our _father_ is going to do his best to kill him, just to get back at me. I don't know what he'll do, but I want Comet to be prepared. Besides, I owe it to him."

Katya turned towards the speakers, expecting a pair of reporters. Instead, she saw a lean, gangly man with faded jeans, a green shirt, and a mop of golden blonde hair who looked to be in his late twenties talking to a young woman in jeans and a black shirt with a picture of Dialga. The man had some of the same features that Comet had, including the eyes that once Comet was determined to do something, there was no way that he was going to be swayed from his goal.

Katya walked towards the two, a whine somehow escaping her throat. The two individuals who were talking to each other looked at her. "Hello there, are you lost?" the woman asked Katya in a tone best used on lost little Eevees. Katya recoiled in shock.

[I am **not** lost!] the vixen yelped indignantly. The man looked at the woman with a look that said _I can't believe you just did that_. "You just had to address her like she was a newborn Eevee, didn't you," he told her, his tone matching his facial expression.

The Illusion Fox's eyebrows shot up in surprise. [You know what I just said?] she softly barked, startled by the fact that the man was able to understand what she said. The woman smirked in amusement. "Yes, little one we know what you are saying," she told Katya. The vixen's eye lid twitched.

The man looked over at the woman. "Dialga, I think you broke the vixen's brain," he told her. At this, Katya had a final burst of thought before she slumped unconscious.

_Sweet Arceus, I'm in the presence of Dialga? Then who's…_

Comet woke gently to the annoying beeps of the heart monitor. He was about to sit up when the most mind splitting headache he had ever experienced decided to make itself known to him. He crashed back onto the bed, writhing in pain as his head, more specifically his brain, felt like it was on fire. For what felt like hours, Comet endured the searing agony, when in reality, it was only a few moments.

As the pain subsided, Comet was finally able to form a coherent thought, which went somewhere along the lines of, _what the hell just happened to me and the fuckin' hell am I_? Opening his eyes, Comet saw the wonderfully dull ceiling of his room, with a variety of bumps, cracks, and all sorts of things that one notices when looking at a painted ceiling. Looking around, he noted that his room was somewhat small, with the only furniture not medically oriented was a chair and wall mounted T.V.

Suddenly, the door clicked open, causing Comet to quickly turn his head over to where the door was. Expecting a doctor, Comet was surprised to see a man and a woman come into the room, as well as Katya, who, upon seeing that her trainer was awake, nearly flew onto his bed and gave him a bone crushing hug.

[Don't ever do that again!] the teary eyed vixen half cried, half barked into the teen's ear. [I thought you wouldn't make it out alive, with the semi hitting you, and you going to intensive care…]

Comet could barely gasp out his reply in the midst of the foxes cries. "Katya, would you please let go! You're hurting me more than the semi did, and that's saying something." Katya then looked up at his face in surprise. [Not you too!], she whined, her hug loosening up a bit, but still tight enough to not let the trainer move much.

Now it was Comet's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean, Katya, I-" Comet shut up as he realized just what he was doing. "Uh, Katya," he asked tentatively, "did I just understand what you were saying to me?"

Katya took the time to look him straight in the eye and nod. Comet paled. That was when he noticed the other two occupants of the room. "Katya, who the heck is she?" he asked the now more-or-less sober vixen, his head nodding in the woman's direction. Katya had to let go of her trainer to look at the two. [You would not possibly believe who the lady is,] she told him. Comet looked at her blankly. "Try me."

Before Katya could speak, the man spoke up. "The lady next to me is the Goddess of Time, Lady of the Clock, and not to mention one of the only people to have ever defied Arceus, Dialga," he said, his voice in a mock majestic tone, his hands waving about his sides. "I am the former Lord of the Sky, and only the ninth, I think, to piss Arceus off. I am also a…friend of your mother." This he said with less enthusiasm than the last statement, the man's face twisting into a look of sadness.

Comet looked at the man in shock as he looked hard at the man's features. The same hair, same facial structure, same eye color for crying out loud…the only thing Comet was missing was the yellow stripe right under the guy's eyes. "D-Dad, there's no way you can possibly be telling the truth," he stammered, his body starting to shake. Katya raised her eyes in astonishment.

The woman laughed, a pure, melodious sound that only somewhat soothed the teenager. "Of course he's telling the truth, Comet. But I can't prove it here, not with so many possible witnesses," she said, a gleam of amusement evident in her eyes, and a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Okay, but how are you…" Comet didn't quite get a chance to finish talking as the world around him just disappeared, then abruptly reformed as he unceremoniously fell to the ground, only to grunt with pain as a one hundred forty pound fox fell on top of him, Katya's weight aggravating bruises that Comet didn't know he had.

"Oh, that's great. Dialga, why did you have to bring us here?" the man asked Dialga, his face contorted with anger. Dialga gave him a stern look. "Simple. I thought that it might make things easier to explain if you told him the truth here, Ray. Plus, he needs to know," Dialga told him, her face showing that she was absolutely serious.

Ray sighed and turned towards Comet, who along with Katya, had been watching the two. "Comet, do you know where we are?" he asked, his voice now sounding tired, and his head was bowed down. Comet was about to answer no when he finally felt the somewhat strong breeze blow through his hair, and the salty scent of the sea assailing his nose hairs.

Comet lifted the Illusion Fox Pokémon off of him and walked over to what he thought was the edge to a ten foot drop. His stomach, however, leapt to his throat as Comet gazed at the stormy waves several stories below him. Looking up only slightly, he saw the dot that signified the presence of Pacifilog.

"Holy crap, I'm on the Sky Pillar," Comet muttered, his mouth open in shock. Ray chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, this where I first met Laura," he paused for a second, a brief look of happiness on his face. He looked directly into Comet's eyes. "Your mother, Comet, was the first trainer to catch me in a Pokeball, and an ordinary Pokeball at that. With that being said, do you know who I am?" Ray asked, his head cocked to the side.

Comet gazed at Ray fearfully as if he was Darkrai himself. "Rayquaza? You're my dad?"

[Wait a sec,] Katya said, [Comet, the guardian of the sky is your **dad**?] Katya looked at her trainer in disbelief, her brain in turmoil at the rather startling revelation. During the almost five years that she had known him, Katya had never heard Comet talk about his dad, much less see a photo of him.

Comet was about to talk to Ray when his face turned beet red. Katya assumed that he just realized he was still in a hospital gown that did pretty much nothing to hide some…private areas from a certain attractive woman who was still in the vicinity. Dialga grinned at the younger man's discomfort.

"Well, it certainly is a good thing I brought this then," Dialga said smirking as she tossed both Comet's old clothes and his backpack. Comet almost fell flat on his back as he caught the two items. Katya, unbeknownst to everyone else, was blushing at what she almost saw.

Comet rushed off to hide behind the nearest group of rocks to change, leaving the other three to themselves. Dialga sighed.

"Well, I have to go back to my realm before I cause any serious damage to this one. I don't want my brother to get wind of this." As she said this, her form started to blur for a moment, almost taking the shape of her natural form. But before the body solidified, Dialga gave Ray one last piece of her mind. "Ray, at least get Comet his armor. That way he won't die within the next week." With that, Dialga disappeared.

Katya choose this moment to glare fiercely at Ray. [What does she mean by getting him armor? And who wants him dead within the next week?] Katya growled savagely at the former Legendary.

Ray grimaced. _I swear, she acts so much like Laura, it's disturbing. But I have to wonder, does she like who I think she likes_? Ray looked at the vixen coolly. "So, how much do you like my son? Just out of curiosity," Ray inquired, his voice fairly devoid of emotion.

The look on the Zoroark's face was, to Ray, priceless. "I take that as a lot," he said, the former serpent sitting on a stone dais on the middle of the roof. Ray could now easily see the vibrant blush the fox had in her ears, the clasping of the vixen's clawed hands only adding to the image of a nervous teen on a first date…wait, when did _that_ image come into his head?

The moment was over as Comet came into view, his normal clothes back on and the hospital gown nowhere in sight. Comet couldn't help but notice the tension between his Pokémon and his father. "So, what did I miss? And where's Dialga?" Ray shrugged. "She had to leave before she tore up reality as we know it," he answered. Comet nodded in understanding.

[Great, now that Comet's here, could you please explain to us what the hell Dialga meant by getting Comet armor? And just who wants Comet dead?] Katya barked out, her previous Death Glare™ returning full force to rest on Ray.

"Yeah! Who wants me…wait, **what**?" Comet shouted, just as something flew overhead unnoticed.

Latias waited patiently for the door to the Toradan residence to open. She was currently in her human disguise, which was currently a young woman of about eighteen with red hair and amber eyes wearing a pair of shorts that went slightly below the knees, a shirt that supported the Cherrygrove Electabuzz, a pair of flip-flops, and a leather bracelet that had the triangle that was on her forehead normally on it. She snapped out of her thoughts as the door opened to reveal a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties.

"Hello, can I help you," the woman asked her, her voice soft and motherly. Latias gulped.

"Yes um, I'm looking for Ray, is he here?" Latias timidly asked, her head hunched near her shoulders. The woman looked at Latias intensely. "How do you know Ray?" she asked, her voice tense. "Well, Ray's been kinda like a brother to me since Latios died and-" Latias started to say before the lady interrupted her.

"Wait, did you just say, Latios was your brother?" the lady asked, her gaze fixed firmly onto Latias. Latias' throat was dry, and instead of trying to speak, nodded. The lady swore. "Damn, what he did he do, not stop Groudon and Kyogre from killing each other?" Latias shook her head. "Then what did Ray. Oh. Oh my God, they found out, didn't they?" This the woman said softly, almost disbelievingly.

Latias nodded. "Yeah, and now Arceus wants to destroy some kid that Ray had and…" Latias never got a chance to complete her statement as Laura Toradan, former Hoenn Pokémon League finalist and full-time mother, went apeshit.


	5. Chapter 5

Battle of the Soon-To-Be Ex's

"Okay, so let me get this straight Dad," Comet said as he was walking down the halls of the Sky Pillar, his voice raised more out of annoyance than anger, "Arceus, _**the**_ _**Alpha Pokémon**_ who basically created the universe, wants me dead because you got caught by my mom and had me? Why in Giratina's disgusting, wart-ridden-"

"Comet, let's not describe my older brother's body parts in detail, I'm sure we are all fine not knowing what he looks like for now," Ray interrupted his son before the teen could finish his soon to be profane description of a certain area of Giratina's body. "Arceus believes you to be a threat mostly because he was never awake in the heroic days of humanity and doesn't know what to expect from you. The bloody twit also decreed early on that none of us Legendaries, with the exception of Mew, were to have young with any off the 'lesser' creations of his. Too bad for Arceus that Mesprit is known as the being of **emotion**. And the last time I checked, love was an emotion," Ray smirked as he finished speaking.

"Okay, but could please explain to me what the heck Dialga meant by getting me armor?" Comet asked his father. Ray closed his eyes, his mouth bent in amusement.

"Comet, when you saved that girl, what happened?" the man asked the teen.

Comet raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Um, I had the kid in a bear hug when the semi reached us." Ray just looked at him expectantly. Comet continued. "But then this green energy field popped up in front of us and stopped the truck." Comet couldn't help but remember the way that the truck crunched around him and the girl…then the blackness that overcame him seconds later.

Ray nodded. "Okay, that was a minor Aura Shield that you made," he told Comet. "Right now, even a light Aura Shield would be enough to knock you out." Comet bent up his left eyebrow. "So, what Dialga is talking about is a solidified layer of Aura that acts as armor," Rayquaza explained, "The energy used to create it isn't much, and once done, well..." Ray looked up as he scratched his head.

Katya decided to break her silence. [Well what?] The vixen asked the former Legendary. Ray went back to talking to Comet as if the Zoroark wasn't there. "Comet, don't ask me to explain this, I can't, but, once made, your armor will then materialize when you will it." Comet's eyebrows went sky high. "It goes into some other dimension that none of my siblings have access to, and it is almost completely idiot-proof." At this last comment, Ray had his eyes closed as he flashed a cheesy anime-like grin.

The reaction to that comment was not as Ray expected. The Zoroark that was (secretly) in love with Comet decided to do the Pokémon equivalent of cracking her knuckles. Comet simply gave his dad a relatively neutral glare, arms across his chest. Ray sighed.

"Okay, so it isn't idiot-proof, but it does go into some other dimension when you're not using it."

Comet nodded. "Okay, but, just how exactly do I get it? I'm pretty sure I just can't get a suit of armor-"

Comet was interrupted by his father. "It actually doesn't have to be a suit of armor like back in the medieval period. It could look like anything you want. But to make it, you simply have to concentrate all your Aura into what the armor looks like, how it feels, and just how damn heavy it might be."

As the trio approached the entrance of the Sky Pillar, Comet's face twisted into an expression of thoughtfulness. "Hmm, I think I can do that," he muttered, not exactly talking to anyone in particular.

On a small island north-east of the Sky Pillar, a Skarmony landed next to an ominous looking figure, dressed head to toe in a tattered white cloak, the face obscured by a hood that blocked out the sun. The figure didn't turn its head as the Skarmony chirped back its report on what it had seen.

[Rayquaza and the boy are at the Sky Pillar, as Lord Arceus predicted. Lady Dialga was also there, for reasons unknown. There was also a Zoroark with them. Lady Dialga went back to her realm a few minutes after they arrived.]

The figure nodded. "Good. Continue to monitor them, and when the time is right, eliminate them. Except for Rayquaza. He must watch what happens to those who defy Lord Arceus."

The Skarmony nodded in confirmation and took off, leaving the figure to listen to the wind and sea.

_Back at Fortree…_

Meanwhile, the rest of Comet's Pokémon worried about his general state of health, and, after just watching the four o'clock news, where he was in general, unaware of what was going on with Comet's mother. Milo was actually not sleeping this time; ever since Comet rescued him from being captured by thugs, the Mightyena was fiercely loyal of Comet, but not quite to the extent as Katya. Cale was trying to remain calm as he searched all of the…criminal websites on the internet for Comet's whereabouts, and Kira was just standing there.

[It doesn't make any sense,] Cale said to his compatriots. [Comet shows signs of some supernatural ability and not one of the crime rings in any region except Orre claim to be interested in him. And yet he disappears, and yet again, he doesn't take his cell phone.] At this point Cale glared at the early monstrosity that was the first cell phone.

[Cale, Comet will be fine. Katya is with him and besides, we both know how powerful she gets when Comet's in trouble,] Milo growled softly to the gecko. The dog then looked over to the pink haired Eeveelution next to him. [Kira, you have a fix on Comet yet?]

The odd thing about Kira was that unlike many other Espeons, Kira was either unable or unwilling to predict the future. Instead, the feline was able to find almost anybody on Earth with her mind; the accuracy was determined by how well Kira knew the target, which in this case, was very well. Suddenly, her eyes flew open.

[Comet's heading away from the Sky Pillar at eight point four knots, bearing east, north-east towards Sootopolis.] The Espeon's eyes widened in fear.

Both Cale and Milo saw their friend's eyes go wide. ["What's wrong?] Cale asked.

Kira shuddered as she spoke, her psychic powers adding the main soundtrack to _Psycho_ to her words.

[It's her…]

The two males screamed.

[_Darla?_]

_Somewhere near Sootopolis_

Comet stood in awe of the boat he was on. Well, boat wasn't an accurate enough description, more like a small cruise ship like the long lost _S.S. Anne_. The floors were solid marble, the columns that held up the roof were made out of Unovan Redwood, and whoever the owners were was able to afford a small army of man-servants. Comet was forced out of his fascination of the yacht as Katya yipped softly to him.

[Comet, who do you think owns this boat?] The Illusion Fox asked her trainer. Comet shrugged. "Dunno, but we were sure as heck lucky they saw us, otherwise…"

Comet never got to finish his statement as a honey sweet voice reached the duo's ears.

"Comet! I'm so glad that you, the love of my life, are safe!" Comet and Katya instantly swiveled their heads to the source of the commotion. The person they saw made Comet's blood freeze, and for Katya's eyes to narrow in sheer hatred.

She was around five feet tall, dressed in rather expensive conservative dress, and was currently running towards Comet at a speed of 12.3 miles an hour, her shiny brown hair billowing behind her.

Comet started running in the opposite direction of the girl, Katya following right behind him. "Darla," Comet yelled over his shoulder, "leave me alone you psychopath! Just because we sat next to each in third grade does **not** mean that I like you, or even want to date you!"

Darla apparently either ignored Comet's exclamations or didn't hear them. "Oh Comet, you and I are meant to be together. Just think about it; by the time I'm sixteen, we'll both be enjoying our honeymoon in the Orange Islands."

"Darla, just shut up and leave me alone!"

Katya was too busy trying to keep up with her trainer to really talk, but she did think about her two cents of the argument. _You can have Comet Darla…when I'm dead you moronic hussy!_

_Elsewhere on the boat…_

Ray was looking in wonder at the Olympic sized swimming pool at the stern of the yacht, as well as the equally sized Pokémon battle area right next to it. _Holy shit, who owns this boat?_, the man thought. He noted with some concern that the butler had done nothing but stand in the same place for last ten minutes, not moving a single muscle. Ray was about to ask the butler if he was even alive when the sound of running feet caught his attention instead.

Ray turned around to see his son and the Zoroark running towards him, a young girl following close behind. Ray was about to ask what was up when Comet skidded to a stop and tried to hide behind him.

"Comet, what are you doing?" the ex-Legendary asked his son.

Comet shook in fear as he answered. "Using you as my meat shield. That banshee's claws are very sharp." Ray's eyebrows rose faster than most commercial elevators in shock as he heard his son's response to his question. His head then swiveled back to the front where a brown haired, blue eyed girl stood panting in a rather bad looking conservative dress.

The girl decided to speak up at that moment. "Comet, you can't hide from our destined relationship," the girl said, her eyes closed in bliss.

"Darla, just shut up before I mail myself to Giratina!" the young teen yelled from behind Ray. Ray was just confused at what was going on.

"Um, Comet, who is she?" Ray inquired of his son who was still behind him.

"The crazy banshee in front of you is Darla O'Hara. Her parents are on the board of directors for Devon Corp. We sat next to each other in the third grade," Comet replied, his wary gaze not leaving Darla for an instant. Katya said nothing, but she did growl.

Ray grimaced. This was starting to remind him of the time when Groudon was being chased by a love-struck Heatran…with the latter falling for Regigigas instead, thank gosh. What bothered Ray the most about that particular bit of time wasn't the chase, but rather the fact that both Groudon and Heatran were coming to him for advice for how to get away from/catch the other. Back then, Rayquaza had put the proverbial foot down and told the two of them the truth, as well as a warning to stop pestering him about their emotional turmoil. Ray was about to do the same thing yet again.

"Okay, I don't know who you are, but you need to stop chasing **my** son around the globe just because you have a crush on him. He doesn't like you romantically, and you're ruining any chances of having him as a friend. Comet already has someone who likes him for who he is, not because of where he was at a particular time," Rayquaza bluntly told the teenage girl in front of him. Her face went from cheerful, to surprised, and to Ray's surprise, rage.

"You can't tell me to stay away from my Comet! In fact, I'll settle this like a real trainer! Comet, I challenge you to a battle!" the girl screamed in rage at both Ray and Comet, who nodded coolly.

"Okay, but if I win, you have to swear on your honor as a O'Hara that you'll stop trying to marry and or date me," Comet said as he walked out from behind his father, Katya walking right behind him. Darla in her fury nodded, but then said something that made Comet once again fear for his life.

"Okay then. So as the challenger, I say we do a three on three battle; first to lose all three loses." She took out three pokeballs from somewhere in her dress and threw them up in the air. "Come on out!" Darla cried out with pride as a Gyrados, an Ursaring, and a Flareon appeared from their containers.

Comet's face paled. His team was still back home in Fortree, and right now, the only Pokémon he had was Kat. He knew she could take out the Ursaring easily, and possibly the Flareon. The Gyrados…not a chance. That particular species of Pokémon was just too damn powerful. Heck, the last time Comet saw Darla's Gyrados was back when it still a Magikarp.

Comet glanced over at Katya. She looked back at him with an almost depressing expression on her muzzle. He quietly scratched her behind her ears, right at where the ear met the skull and was just next to her mane of silk smooth fur, trying to reassure the vixen next to him.

Ray noticed this as the two trainers and their respective Pokémon took positions, the butler finally moving to the referee's position in the middle of the arena. He could see, with a mixture of happiness worry, the bond that was most certainly starting to form between his son and the Zoroark. While he was concerned about Comet's romantic future, Rayquaza was more concerned about when he was going to be able to get Comet to make his armor.

As Ray stood off to the side, Darla noticed that Comet hadn't called out any other Pokémon besides his Zoroark. "Comet, are you out of Pokémon? If so, I could surely lend you a pair," the young lady inquired of her opponent.

Comet scowled back at Darla. "I'm not out of Pokémon, they are simply…" He was interrupted by a bright flash of light, followed by about two hundred pounds of dog, cat, and giant gecko landing on him. "Crushing my spleen," the blonde haired boy managed to say painfully, whatever limbs were sticking out of the body pile twitching.

Milo got out of the pile and violently puked out his last meal, his body stiff as a board. Cale looked green…er than usual. Katya walked over to Cale. [Cale, are you okay?] the vixen asked as she patted the gecko on the back. Her response from said gecko was a violent retching sound coming from the reptile. [Okay, I'll assume that means no,] the Zoroark said, an anime style sweatdrop appearing on her head.

Comet got up slowly, his bruises now developing bruises. Looking over his Pokémon, he nodded and tapped Katya, Kira, and Cale. He stood at the standard position for battling trainers and nodded towards the butler.

The butler spoke about the rules of the battle, asking Comet and Darla if they agreed with the rules, and when they did, spoke one simple word.

"Begin!"

The battle of the ex's was on.


	6. Chapter 6

The Real Battle of the Ex's, Pt.1

Darla's first Pokémon was the Flareon, whose body was shimmering slightly due to the sheer amount of heat coming off the Pokémon. Comet nodded to Cale. Darla looked at Comet incredulously, as she could not believe that the person of her affections would use a Pokémon with an obvious type disadvantage.

In any case, Darla went on the offensive. "Flareon, use Flamethrower! Let's end this quickly," she yelled out at the small flaming canid in front of her. The Flareon did as he was told, the baritone of the Flareon's voice making itself known to Comet.

[Yes mistress!] yelped the Flareon, just before he unleashed a torrent of fire that raced towards Comet's Grass-type. Cale didn't move out of the way as the inferno rushed towards him. A second or two later, fire swept the area that the Wood Gecko was in, the Pokémon's form indiscernible in the flames. Darla grinned in triumph as the flames dissipated, only to lose that expression as everybody saw the hole in the ground of the arena.

Comet smiled with his eyes closed as Cale's hands erupted from the ground, dragging the surprised Flareon waist deep into the ground. The gecko reappeared, burns covering portions of his body as he came out of the ground faster than a caffeine chugging zombie, his stance low to the ground. Comet nodded to Cale, his eyes still not open, the teen's foot now tapping the ground in a beat known only to him.

The gecko rushed forward at the trapped Flareon, the leaves on his forearms now glowing a brilliant green. Darla looked on in amazement as her Flareon was struck by the Grovyle's Leaf Blade attack, which not only scored a critical hit, but managed to lift the poor Fire-type Eeveelution out of the floor and into the air.

Ray looked on in amazement at his son's battle. If anything, Comet's battle style reminded Ray of Laura, and how she beat the Elite Four…with his only slightly willing help. Laura was almost at the point of nonverbal communication of orders with most of her Pokémon when she had faced the Elite Four; Comet, to Ray's absolute amazement, was already past that point. The ex-Legendary watched as the Flareon struggled to stand up, only to fall down panting.

Comet opened his eyes in annoyance. The boy quickly looked into the Grovyle's eyes and then at the Flareon. Cale shrugged and speed off, the Grass-type preparing a Quick Attack.

"Flareon, use Fire Blast now!" Darla commanded to her injured Pokémon. The Flareon no sooner nodded and stood up when Cale slammed into the smaller Fire-type, the gecko's elbow driving itself painfully into the Flareon's gut.

Cale's eyes widened in surprise as the Flareon vomited up a massive orb of flame that consumed the Grass-type. The Flareon landed several feet away, unconscious. Cale simply fell down on the spot, the reptile's skin smoldering as he lay prone, his chest thankfully rising and falling.

The butler looked worried as he pointed his arm up. "Round one ends in a draw. Master Comet's Pokémon will be sent to the yacht's medical bay. Now, trainers, select your next Pokémon!"

Darla's face was contorted with anger as she sent out her Gyrados, the Pokémon's perpetually angry expression having seemingly no effect on Comet. Comet looked over at Kira and smiled grimly. "Go get him girl," he said softly, the teen's eyes shining with a mischievous glint.

The butler looked over at the two trainers and signaled for the next round to begin. At the exact same time, the Gyrados picked that time to try and intimidate Kira.

[OK you little rat, time for you to suffer!] the Gyrados roared, the volume loud enough to cause Darla to cover her ears. For those who heard the Gyrados' statement, they each reacted in different ways; Comet cursed and dropped to the floor, Katya shifted her form to that of a Zorua and crawled under Comet, Milo dropped to his belly and whimpered, Ray wondered at what was going on, and the mother of all tick marks appeared on the psychic felines now furious face.

[Little? _Little? I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S LITTLE YOU-__{Insert curse word or phrase of choice here}!]_ Kira yowled in rage as she picked up the Gyrados with her mind and proceeded to introduce the water type to the floor of the battle arena, with rather violent prejudice. [Help _ME!_] the Gyrados roared weakly, his face incapable of showing any emotion other than fear. After about two minutes of beating the Gyrados to a pulp, Kira launched him into air, and watched as the unlucky Pokémon landed in his native element. Painfully.

Without waiting for the butler/judge to say anything, Kira walked angrily back to where her trainer was still huddled to the ground, Katya's Zorua head poking out from under Comet's chest. Kira looked at her friend in confusion. [Kat, what's wrong?] the Espeon asked her friend.

The vixen looked at Kira fearfully. [Kira, you are _scary_ when you're angry,] Katya responded, her voice showing signs of fear. The Espeon shrugged. [Think of it this way, you only have to fight the Ursaring, and I bet the match will take less than thirty seconds.] Katya nodded as Comet got up, now seeing the unconscious Gyrados lying in the pool, bruises covering a majority of its body in multiple shades of blue and black.

Darla looked furious. "Comet, I hope that you are not cheating in this! For there is no way that an Espeon could have a one hit K.O. on Mr. Bubbles!" the young girl shouted, her eyes declaring bloody murder. Comet rolled his eyes.

"Darla, raw strength isn't going to win a battle. You actually have to think about what you want to do. I mean, look at what happened with Cale and your Flareon. Just because Cale has a type disadvantage doesn't mean he can't win. It means he has to fight smarter," Comet tried to explain to Darla.

Darla apparently didn't care about what he was saying as she sent the Ursaring out onto the field. "Comet, you will lose this match! Major is from a line known for toughness, so there's no way that that Zoroark is going to win," Darla yelled across the field at her opponent. She cringed slightly as she saw Comet glare at her coldly.

"Her name is Katya, _Darla_," he said, his low tone of voice traversing the distance between the two trainers. Amongst Comet's Pokémon, there were several reactions. Milo and Cale looked at each other with a mixture of surprise and worry, Kira gulped, and Katya grinned evilly at Darla, the Illusion Fox shifting into an aggressive posture. The trainers and their Pokémon didn't hear the butler start the match.

Ray started to panic. _This is either really good, or really bad,_ he thought. _On one hand, he might be acknowledging his feeling for the Zoroark, or he could just be defending her honor, and leave the poor vixen heartbroken. Either way, Arceus is going to spot this and use it to his advantage._

Comet shifted his stance to reflect that of his Zoroark. "Katya, use Night Claw, and don't hold back," he calmly ordered the vixen, his voice low and cold as Comet looked at Darla darkly. Katya rushed forward as her claws glowed ominously with violet strands of energy twisting around the fox's arms.

"Major, dodge and counter with Fury Swipes! Don't get beat by a wimpy little fur-ball like that Zoroark!" Darla yelled at Major, hoping to inspire the bear to victory. What Darla didn't count on was the little known fact that Kat hadn't been an adorable ball of fur for about two years, and she was not, as the reports by both the Kanto and Johto Pokémon Leagues revealed, a wimp. So the bear had quite a nasty surprise coming to him.

Which unfortunately for all present, didn't come to the bear as a Skarmony dive-bombed towards Comet.

_Mt. Pyre_

Let it be known that of all the people that Latias knew on the planet (which barely went past about forty), Laura Toradan was possibly either the bravest, or the craziest person that the Eon Pokémon had ever met. Currently, the relatively young mother was fast marching her way up the side of Mt. Pyre, hoping to talk to a pair of people who were supposedly capable of talking to spirits. As a minor note, it was raining Growlithe and Meowths, reducing visibility to less than ten feet.

Latias had personally never been to Mt. Pyre, but from the confident way that Laura held herself up on the slopes of the local dread mountain, the Eon deduced that the former trainer had traveled up the mountain many times. Latias personally would have simply flown to the summit, but the Eon Pokémon was not ready to alert Arceus to her whereabouts. That and she didn't know who else was in the area and wearing polarized sunglasses.

Laura was not happy. Her boyfriend/husband had suddenly crashed back into her life after eight years, and it was in part Laura's fault. What truly made her furious was not the fact that she was leading a Legendary Pokémon up the side of Mt. Pyre, or that her son had disappeared from a hospital room. No, Laura was furious at Arceus for planning to kill Comet just because Ray happened to fall in love with the trainer who captured him. Unfortunately for Laura, Ray didn't exactly have a cell phone, so she settled for the next best thing: psychics, in this case, Mr. and Mrs. Beauregard, the caretakers of the tombs throughout Mt. Pyre. The married couple were also responsible for looking after the formerly hidden Gems of Hoenn.

Laura sighed as she remembered what had happened nearly seventeen years ago on this mountain. Brushing that memory aside, Laura saw that the rain was letting up, a good sign; she didn't want to be caught in a mudslide with the dead. Looking back, Laura saw that Latias was shaking.

"Hey Latias, you okay? You're shaking like a leaf," Laura said to the relatively young Legendary, stopping to get something to warm the Pokémon up. Latias nodded.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine, just keep going and don't get mad at who's up there," the seemingly teenage girl stuttered to Laura, the Pokémon's shaking growing. Laura's eyebrow shot up, her curiosity quickly taking hold. Walking up the now uncovered walkway to the top, the duo came to the summit of Mt. Pyre, but what they saw surprised them.

For Laura, the woman talking to the Beauregards was a complete stranger, with the only distinguishing features being a long cerulean trench coat, with golden blonde hair bleached almost white with faint red tips. Latias recognized the disguised Legendary almost instantly, shocked that Kyogre, of the many Legendaries that she knew, was even on the mountain. The elderly couple stopped talking to Kyogre as soon as they saw Laura.

Mrs. Beauregard ran towards Laura, embracing the young woman warmly. "Oh, Laura, it's been such a long time! Why haven't you visited? It's been years since you visited last," the old woman excitedly told Laura, who was about to answer when the lady in blue turned towards them and interrupted.

"Laura? Are you the one that my brother probably would never shut up about?" Kyogre asked, her slight Slavic accent deepening her voice in a way that a lot of men would find attractive, especially when her figure was considered. At about 6' 1", Kyogre was built like a wall, but with considerably less bulk. Her assets weren't too big, which just fine as it fit her figure. What Laura noticed about the lady were the cold, piercing blue eyes that carried a haughty air in them, as well as the fury of the sea. The other thing that Laura noticed was the intricate red tattoos on the lady's hands.

Laura decided to tread into the situation cautiously. "Which brother, and do I know you?" Laura inquired back, her voice not showing a trace of the fear that Laura felt inside. The former Hoenn Champion felt…cold in the stranger's presence. It was almost as if she had walked into a meat locker on full chill.

Kyogre nodded, her mouth going up in an aristocratic smile. "It is wise of you to not dive into the water, since you do not know the depth. I speak of Rayquaza, or whatever name he goes by among you humans," she said, her eyes not leaving Laura.

What happened next no one could have predicted. Laura closed the distance between herself and Kyogre and delivered a devastating right hook to the latter's jaw. "You _**IDIOT**_! Do you have any idea how much time I lost with Ray because of you and Groudon? Hell, I should just beat the crap out of you right if it weren't for my current problem!" Laura yelled, the fury of hell coming out of her voice. Everyone present, including several nearby families of Vulpix and Ninetales, cringed in sheer terror of the angry brunette.

Mrs. Beauregard raised her hand slowly. Laura shifted her remarkably terrifying gaze to the older woman. "Laura," Mrs. Beauregard said softly, "Both Ray and your son are in rather grave danger."

_Hall of Origin_

Arceus smiled as he watched the Skarmony attack Comet, up until the point where he felt a chill crawl up his spine. The Alpha Pokémon shrugged it off as a prank from Mew and Regice.

"Father, can I speak with you?" Arceus turned to the speaker. While not the largest member of the Legendaries, Celebi was nevertheless one of the most powerful of them all, the only others being Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Mewtwo, and himself. Arceus nodded to the diminutive sprite.

"Father, why is it that Rayquaza had to be cast down from his post? After all, he merely fell in love with a mortal," Celebi stated to Arceus, the sprite's eyes cast down to the ground. Arceus didn't respond, the equine Pokémon's gaze fixated firmly on the scene on Earth.

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

First Flight

Comet dove out of the way as the Skarmory tried to claw his face off with its razor sharp talons. Rolling on the floor, he saw that the steel-type bird had accidentally lodged itself into the boat's hardwood floor. "Kat, change of plans. Use Night Claw on the Skarmory!" Comet yelled out to the Zoroark.

Katya nodded as she ran towards Major, the look on the bear's face one of fear. The Ursaring flinched as the much lighter Zoroark jumped onto him, but to Major's amazement, the vixen used him as a springboard to launch herself into the air, her trajectory sending her straight onto the steel avian's back. Throughout the entire eight second maneuver, Katya did not lose any power in her Night Claw attack. If anything, the attack gained power, as the Skarmory learned as Katya slashed open the bird's iron-hard skin, crimson blood now coming out, muscle and sinew now exposed to the elements.

Ray started running towards Comet, an orb of energy forming between his hands. "Comet, run! That Skarmory is-"

Ray couldn't finish his statement as Katya was hit by the Skarmory's iron clad wings, the breaking of bone loud and clear as the Illusion Fox was sent thirty feet away to land in the pool.

"KATYA!" Comet yelled, his face now struck with fear. He started running to the pool where his first Pokémon was sinking when the Skarmory attempted to attack him. The one reason that the homicidal bird didn't reach Comet-and proceed to dismember him-was because Milo leapt up and latched onto one of the bird's feet, Kira was telepathically holding the oversized killer steel chicken in place, and because Ray blasted the damn thing with bolt of crackling green energy.

Comet dived into the pool where Katya was slowly drifting towards the bottom, her form limp as a doll. Comet managed to grab onto her waist and start swimming to the surface; unfortunately, Kat wasn't exactly light-weight anymore. Her fur was only slightly water repellent; the pool simply saturated the fur, making the Zoroark heavier than she really was.

Comet was about to break the surface of the water when he himself started sinking. _Dammit!_ He thought, _the one day I see my dad and learn that someone actually likes me and I'm going to die. Oh well, it's been a good journey._ Comet stopped struggling, letting the combined weight of his and Katya's bodies drag them down to the bottom of the pool. What Comet didn't expect was a claw grabbing his shirt and pulling upwards, lifting the teen and vixen out their almost watery graves and back onto the deck.

Coughing up water, Comet looked up to see Major and Darla standing next to him, the former turned around to face the still rampaging Skarmory, and the latter tossed a towel to him. Comet nodded his thanks and put the towel over Kat.

"Darla, can you get Kat to the sickbay?" he asked as he lifted up his best –and first -friend. Darla nodded, her face drawn out and grim. "Thank you," Comet said, his body relaxing –slightly.

"Major, grab Kat and let's get out of here!" Darla yelled out to her last Pokémon. Major nodded and gingerly took Katya from Comet's grasp.

Comet turned back to look at the fighting that was currently going on with his father and Pokémon, only to duck down in surprise as the Skarmory flew at head level, trying to decapitate him with its wings. Comet landed unceremoniously on his arse as the metal bird swooped up into the air and started to head for where Darla and Major were running to.

Comet stood up, not hearing Ray's shouts to get down. Comet could only focus on the rage he felt that the Skarmory sent by Arceus – dammit, Comet knew in his gut that it was Arceus responsible! – would dare attack a target that couldn't fight back. The teen started running, his mind blank as he thought only of protected Darla and Major…and Katya.

Ray watched as his son stood up and started to run to where Darla was running, the girl quickly losing ground to the metal airborne menace. "Comet, stop! You can't take on that Skarmory, it's too strong!" Ray saw to his disappointment – and fear – that Comet didn't listen to him. But as Comet ran, Ray had no other choice to drop his jaw as Comet's form was blurred by the creation of his armor.

And Ray had to admit, his armor was completely badass. Not to mention that it reflected every important quality of Ray's style of fighting, both as a human and as a Pokémon.

{*_I'm not good enough at describing armor at all, so I'll give you readers a brief list of what Comet's armor looks like. The helmet is basically the GUNGNIR helmet from Halo: Reach. Chest piece is your standard default, without knife, and the knee guards are the same series. Shoulder pads are from the AA series. There is also a pair of jump-jets on the back, similar to what Sierra-117 had in the Halo 4 trailer. Armor color is Steel, with dark green highlights. The color of the helmet lenses varies depending on Comet's mood. In this case, a glowing blood red._*}

The flaps covering the thrusters for Comet's jump-jets opened as he ran, and as Ray, as well as Kira and Milo, watched as Comet jumped at the same time the jump-jets activated. The newly armored teen rocketed upwards towards the Skarmory. Said metal bird did not see what hit it…literally, as Comet ax-kicked the foul fowl directly on the muscle controlling the movements of its left wing.

_Thwa-crunch! Thud!_

[Gaaaahhhhh! You miserable abomination, you will pay dearly for that!] the Skarmory hissed, only for its head to hit the deck as Comet's fist collided with it. The bird attempted to strike back with its wings, only for Comet to jump back and draw his own blades, his stance wide and challenging.

_Oh please tell me that Comet isn't doing what I think he's doing,_ thought Ray as Comet proceeded to sword fight with the Skarmory. Kira looked up at Ray, eyes brimming with concern.

[_Can we help him?_], asked the Espeon. Milo nodded his agreement. Ray didn't say anything for a second, then nodded, just as the Skarmory slammed Comet into a wall.

"_Ow_," moaned Comet as he stood back up. He looked up and quickly blocked the razor sharp wings with his blades as the Skarmory attempted to slice open the poor teen. It quickly screeched in pain as a burst of energy blasted the bloody bird's hindquarters. The Skarmory turned to assess the threat behind it. Which turned out to be its fatal mistake.

Comet saw that the Skarmory was distracted. In less than it takes for most people to say "{Insert swear word of choice here}," Comet slashed the jugular vein of his adversary with one of his swords. Immediately, a fountain of crimson spray erupted from the Skarmory's neck, liberally coating Comet and the surrounding wall in the still warm liquid.

[You…*urk* will die, as…*gasp* Arceus demands it,] croaked the bird, blood dripping from its beak. With a final gasp, the Skarmory which had briefly terrorized those present, was no more as the evil metal turkey died.

Ray, Milo and Kira ran up to Comet as his helmet's face-plate unfolded, revealing his rather pale face.

"Hey Dad," he panted, "I think I hit my head. Either that, or I'm …" Without warning, Comet collapsed to the ground, his armor dissolving into cubes of energy.

"COMET!" shouted Ray, his face and voice full of fear and worry. He knelt by his son and looked at Kira.

"Can you levitate him? We need to take him to the med-bay!" he told the psionic feline. Kira nodded as her eyes glowed. At the same time, Comet's body glowed with a pale blue aura and started to rise. Quickly, the group ran off to the depths of the yacht. _Hang on Comet,_ thought Ray. _Please don't die on me, I can't stand to see you die, not after all the time I haven't spent with you. Please, give me a chance to be a good father._

_Somewhere_

Comet opened his eyes to a white world. As in, the only color he could see for miles around was a stark, blindingly surgical white. Hell, this place was whiter than snow. So it came as an extreme surprise when someone spoke up behind Comet.

"Hello there young one. Are you lost?"

Comet spun around to see a figure he didn't quite expect. He was about the same height as Comet, if not a few inches taller, with some sort of medieval outfit on. A large, wide brimmed hat covered most of his facial features, yet a wild mane of raven black hair was sticking out the back end.

"Can't say I'm lost if I have no destination," Comet said cautiously, shifting into a slightly defensive stance. The stranger nodded sagely.

"A good answer. Now, why is it that you are here in this bland mindscape with me?" he asked, his head cocked to the side. Comet raised an eyebrow in confusion, and then shrugged.

"Somehow, my dad met my mom, had me, and that was reason enough for Arceus to try and kill me and everybody that in the vicinity, with the exception of my dad," Comet bluntly told the man in front of him. The stranger nodded.

"I see. You remind of a man I once met when I was a guardian of Rota. Claimed he was the offspring of Groudon I believe," the stranger said nonchalantly. Comet snorted. The raven haired man finally looked up as he heard the relatively disbelieving snort. Comet was then stunned speechless.

The man looked like an older version of Ash Ketchum, down to the last strand of black hair. It took Comet about two seconds to recognize the man before him.

"Riley?"

_Mt. Pyre _

Laura looked at Kyogre with eyes that would probably freeze hell over. Twice. "Where are they heading?" she demanded, the events of Comet's life-or-death battle having been relayed by Mrs. Beauregard.

Kyogre gulped as she focused on the sea miles away; the rhythmic pulsing of waves, the faint lights of life that Kyogre could sense…and the twisting distress of her brother.

"Rayquaza is heading for Sootopolis," Kyogre told Laura, the latter's eyes still trying to burn holes through the Lady of the Oceans. _Damn,_ Kyogre thought, _No wonder Rayquaza fell in love with this girl, she's just as crazy as he is._ "Laura," Kyogre said. Laura turned her head back as she started walking away. "You're not going to reach Rayquaza in time. I just want you to know that." Laura nodded, just as someone decided to speak up.

"She's right. Rayquaza would most likely be dead by the time you reached him. Which is why I'm inviting you to get to him in a much more rapid fashion, if you so choose." Everyone turned to the speaker; Latias and Kyogre gulped in fright, the Beauregards turned pale, and Laura groaned in annoyance at the newcomer. He was about 6' 8", with a thin frame that made him seem like he was sickly. He wore a grey suit that did nothing to conceal the fact that he was thin. Laura focused more on his face. He had red eyes gazing underneath a well groomed rag of dark hair that had red and blonde highlights.

"And who are you?" Laura asked, her tone clearly stating that if you were wasting her time, then you were going to die a slow, painful death. The stranger nodded in amusement.

"I, Laura Toradan, am Giratina, Lord of the Reverse World, brother of Arceus, and possibly the only way for you to see Rayquaza in a timely fashion," he stated, giving Laura a dramatic bow.

Laura huffed in anger. "Look, I don't care who you are, but if you don't get out of my way in the next five seconds, I'll…" Laura never got to finish her statement as Giratina interrupted her bluntly.

"Your son is also in a coma from which he may not survive, knowing my brother." That made Laura stop in her tracks. Kyogre and Latias watched as the woman's face went from worry to diamond hard determination. Laura looked Giratina dead in the eye and nodded.

Giratina smiled. The other two Legendaries only had time to gulp in fright before Giratina took them and Laura to the Reverse World in a dark burst of light.


	8. Chapter 8

Family Reunions and Bruises

Ray watched as his son was being taken care of by the ship's doctor. So far, Comet was stable, which meant that he wasn't going to die of any internal injuries anytime soon. But that didn't mean that Comet couldn't die within the next few hours from some agent of Arceus'.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ray looked over his shoulder at Darla, who stood in the doorframe, her body reflecting the guilt that she had. Ray sighed.

"I don't know. Doctor says he's stable, but that doesn't mean someone can't still kill him," he told her, his gaze going back to the prone form of his son. Darla also looked upon the still form of Comet, but for a different reason; guilt.

_I almost killed Comet because of a crush. __**I **__almost killed him,_ Darla thought to herself as she walked into the room where Katya was resting. The vet had told her that the Zoroark had suffered from several broken ribs, a dislodged hip and shoulder socket, and a blow to the head that had rendered her unconscious. There were a few cuts and bruises on her body, but they weren't serious enough that nature couldn't heal.

Darla sighed and walked out of the room. She had a lot to think about on the way to Sootopolis.

_Hall of Origin_

Arceus stormed down the hall in rage. One of his best agents had failed the sacred task given to him, and now Rayquaza knew of Arceus' plan to absolutely destroy that…abomination that Rayquaza had made. Now Arceus was going to have to resort to a more…drastic method of disposal, short of blasting that thing and the next few hundred miles into oblivion.

He never noticed that both Reshiram and Zekrom were looking at him strangely, nor that Latias was not in Alto Mare. Heck, the rather angry Legendary didn't even notice that Groudon was heading for Sootopolis.

If only Arceus had paid attention….

_Sootopolis_

Brandyn Holme groaned in joy as he stretched in the afternoon sun. The twenty - seven year old construction worker was off from building a new luxury condo complex for the next hour, and he was going to enjoy it. Or at least, that was the plan until a rather large shadow fell upon him. Turning around, his face split open in a grin.

"Uncle Grant, where'd you come from? The last time I saw you was back at our family reunion a few years back," Brandyn said happily as he looked up at his relative. Brandyn was about six foot four, but his relative towered over him at six nine, and was gifted with a body that rivaled Arnold Schwarzenegger's.

"I'm doin' fine Brandyn, just waiting for my brother to show up," Grant drawled, his gaze fixed on a yacht in the distance.

"Speaking of which, why haven't we met him?" Brandyn asked, his eyes shining curiously. Grant grunted.

"He tends te wander roun', same as your aunt, that cold hearted, fat nutcase."

Without warning, a wrench collided with Grant's head, a wet thud filling the air. Brandyn turned to look at who it was that threw the wrench at his uncle, and was slightly surprised to see a small group of people standing about twenty yards away. Three of the group were women, and the other member was a guy that gave Brandyn the chills for some reason.

"Fat, am I?" asked one of the women furiously. Brandyn could tell that this lady was most certainly his aunt, as she was just as large as his uncle. Yet Brandyn also knew that she didn't throw the wrench, as an even more furious brunette grabbed his aunt by her trench coat and threw _her_ at Grant.

"Oh, sh –," Grant muttered as he was crushed by his sister. Brandyn and the rest of the brunette's group stared at her in fear as she went ballistic at the two.

"_**I have spent the last nine years away from the love of my life, and the two of you are part of the problem! If it weren't for the fact that my son was in danger, I would do things to you that would make Giratina here**_," she pointed at the gaunt individual in question, "_**seem like a total pansy!**_" At this Giratina's face paled even more than it usually was.

"Um, what's going on here?" Brandyn asked hesitantly, slowly stepping over to where his uncle lay on the ground, swirls dominating the latter's eyes. The brunette looked up from her {*cough*} victims, giving Brandyn a watered down version of her death glare.

"Simple. Those two," she pointed towards the unconscious form of Grant and the groaning one of Kyogre, "Have helped ruin my life so far. His brother {points at Giratina} has decreed that my son is an abomination and must be destroyed, and I need to have a talk with my – husband."

_Twenty minutes away from Sootopolis_

Ray felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He started sweating knowing that they were only two reasons that he could think of that could happen to him. One, Mew, disguised as another Legendary, was about to play a prank on him, or Laura was angry enough to throw a Ryhorn through a wall. Knowing the current situation he was in, Ray decided that it was the latter, in which case, he was screwed.

The door to the room opened silently. The only things that tipped Ray off to another presence in Comet's room were the vibrations of the individual's footfalls, and the muted click of the door shutting. Glancing up, Ray noted that it was Katya who had walked in and making her way towards the still form of her trainer.

[Will he wake up soon?] the Zoroark asked softly, her whine indicating her emotional state at present. Ray shrugged half – heartedly.

"I don't know. I hope so, for Laura's sake." Ray closed his eyes as his head hung low, golden strands of hair blocking the sight of his tears. Katya came up to the side of the bed and lay her head atop her arms on Comet's chest.

[I heard about what happened from Kira.] Ray looked at the vixen. [While I still don't like you, I can at least accept the fact that you care for him. And I'm sorry. For being such a cold-hearted bitch and all.]

Ray snorted in laughter. "Katya, for one thing, you're a fox, the term _bitch_ doesn't apply to you. Second, I'm used to it from Karl." At the mention of Karl, the former Legendary rubbed his left arm, almost as if reliving an old memory….

Suddenly, Comet jolted upright, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Sweet fraggin' hoover damned sh-"

[Ray, what's wrong with Comet?] Katya yelped in fear, eyes firmly planted on her trainer. Ray looked up at her as he tried restraining his son.

"His brain's _ommff!_ rebooting, hopefully with _acck! _everything intact. Then we can get to work _aaah!_ protecting and training him. In your case, lovingly maul him." Ray did not take into account his son's near constant litany of curses in German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, French, Italian, and surprisingly, Cajun.

"-Crap nugget fudge and why the hell am I in a hospital again?" asked Comet as he abruptly broke out of his cursing spree. A split second later, a **very** tearful fox squished the young man in a near bone – crushing hug of joy.

[You need to stop hurting yourself, this is driving me insane keeping you out of danger!] Katya whined, tears flowing down her muzzle. Comet smiled painfully.

"That's great Kat, but I still need air to breath," he gasped out, hugging the fox back. Blushing, Katya released her trainer, but still held on to him. Comet looked around the room and saw his father standing next to the wall nursing a bruised jaw.

*_Sigh*_"Do I even want to know what happened to my dad?" Comet asked his Pokémon. Katya shook her head. "Good. Now, where the hell are we?"

"We're about ten minutes away from Sootopolis. Hopefully we can get some training in some of the caves. Now, how are you feeling?" Ray said to his son.

Comet snorted in grim humor, clutching his side in pain. "I feel like I just got hit by another semi. Other than that, chipper." Ray smiled. Not a half-smile or slight turn on the corner off a lip, but a genuine smile.

"Comet."

The teen wasn't looking at his dad, but rather at Katya, yet nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Ray sighed, fatigue finding its way into his voice. "I want to apologize." This brought Comet's gaze straight back to the now sitting form of his father. Rayquaza continued. "For not being there when you needed me. And for not telling you who I was." The former dragon looked up to see his son swinging his legs out of bed, the Illusion Fox Pokémon looking even more worried than normal.

Comet stood up slowly, careful not to injure himself any more than he already was. He walked over to where his father sat, and did something unexpected: Comet gave his father a hug.

"Dad, it's alright. Besides, we're family. We just need to understand each other is all. Now, who can I expect when we get to Sootopolis?" asked Comet.

Ray gulped. "Your mother, for starters."

Needless to say, everyone was scared.


End file.
